Papers by Shelley McKeown Jones
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2019
Recent research on intergroup contact has shown how interactions with outgroup members may both d... more Recent research on intergroup contact has shown how interactions with outgroup members may both decrease and increase motivations to achieve social equality. Similarly, social identity theory has identified the conditions that lead individuals to challenge unequal social systems. Integrating these two major theories, the current study examined the processes underlying the relationship between intergroup contact and participants’ willingness to engage in collective action to challenge social inequality. Specifically, we tested sociostructural variables (status legitimacy and stability, and permeability of group boundaries) as potential mediators of contact in a sample of both advantaged (Italian high school students, N = 392) and disadvantaged (immigrant high school students, N = 165) group members. We found that contact was positively associated with motivation for change, an effect mediated by decreased perceived legitimacy of status differences. Moreover, for the advantaged group,...
Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 2017
In historically divided societies, narratives play an important role in understanding the mainten... more In historically divided societies, narratives play an important role in understanding the maintenance and perception of identities and group status over time. Moving beyond the consequences of identity continuity perceptions, in this paper we were interested in the antecedents of perceived collective continuity, specifically the role of narratives and threat perceptions. We predicted that endorsement of ingroup narratives would be associated with higher perceived continuity through stronger perceptions of group threat. To test this hypothesis, we recruited participants from both majority and minority groups in Northern Ireland (N = 268) and in Cyprus (N = 413) to complete an online survey to examine their endorsement of ingroup and outgroup narratives, their perceptions of identity continuity and feelings of threat. We tested these predictions with path analyses. In line with our hypothesis, results demonstrate that, for both majority and minority groups, if group members feel threa...
Journal of Social Issues, 2020
Intergroup contact can be as casual as members of different groups walking past one another on th... more Intergroup contact can be as casual as members of different groups walking past one another on the street or as intimate as developing cross-group friendships or romantic relationships. To date, however, the majority of intergroup contact research has focused on examining the effects of contact through self-report measures of interactions and friendships. While this research has made a substantial contribution to scientific understanding, less is known about how different forms of contact (casual vs. intimate) influence each other and are associated with outcomes across the lifespan. The present article focuses on intimate contact; a close and meaningful relationship or interaction with either an ingroup or outgroup member. We critically review the nature and consequences (good and bad) of intimate contact for children, youth and adults and for both majority and minority group members, focusing primarily on intimate intergroup contact. We also consider how intimate contact might be best measured in future research. Implications for research design, policy, and practice are considered. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology
Intergroup contact and the mediating role of intergroup trust on outgroup evaluation and future c... more Intergroup contact and the mediating role of intergroup trust on outgroup evaluation and future contact intentions in Cyprus and Northern Ireland It is well supported that intergroup contact reduces prejudice and that positive contact can increase trust and improve attitudes between groups in conflict. In segregated societies, however, contact is often difficult or undesirable when political parties or institutions obstruct intergroup contact. Therefore, when contact does occur it is vital that it is of positive quality that could potentially lead to increased intentions for further contact, as a way of facilitating sustained contact, desegregation and promoting peace. With this in mind, the present paper examines intergroup contact, intergroup trust and future contact intentions in two conflict settings; Cyprus and Northern Ireland. Separate models are also tested for Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland (n = 268) and for Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus (n = 408). Participants took part in an online survey which asked them to report on their contact experiences, intergroup trust, outgroup evaluation and future contact intentions. As expected, participants from Northern Ireland experienced more and better quality contact compared to participants from Cyprus. For Protestants, Catholics and Greek Cypriots, results show that quality of contact, above quantity of contact, predicts future contact intentions and improved attitudes through the mediation of intergroup trust. For Turkish Cypriots, contact quality additionally directly predicted outgroup evaluation without necessarily increasing trust. We argue that positive contact is an important route for promoting desegregation in societies with high residential segregation but that it is vital to understand contextual and group status when understanding these relationships.
Personality and dogmatic thinking within religious individuals have been examined by previous res... more Personality and dogmatic thinking within religious individuals have been examined by previous research, but neglected for non-religious individuals. In this experiment, we distinguish between two types of non-religious groups; those who ascribe themselves to an identity (atheists) and those who do not (no beliefs in particular). A total of 103 non-religious individuals (36% atheists and 64% with no particular beliefs) completed an online questionnaire measuring dogmatism and openness traits, with an additional Christian group (n = 91) serving as a control. After confirming a relationship between identity salience and dogmatism, and validating a measure of dogmatism (DOG) in both non-religious groups, we note key personality differences between the two. Those with no beliefs in particular demonstrated a traditional negative correlation between openness and dogmatism (along with Christians) while these variables correlated positively for atheists (in particular, on ‘unconventionality’). This study is the first to establish differences between the relationship of dogmatism and openness within non-religious populations and explain these differences through group identity. Thus, identity strength and group belief systems are suggested to be key contributors to observed group differences between non-religious individuals
There have been many attempts to solve Northern Ireland’s problems over the last thirty years. Th... more There have been many attempts to solve Northern Ireland’s problems over the last thirty years. The primary focus has been to increase the amount of intergroup contact between the two dominant groups (Protestant and Catholic) through developing shared space. Outlining a body of developing research, the
present paper argues that shared space does not necessarily mean that groups interact in a meaningful way with one another. This is evidenced through data which examined intergroup behaviour in integrated secondary schools, further education college classes and a cross-community group in Northern Ireland.
Results show that even in what is deemed as shared space, Protestant and Catholic young people remain highly segregated in homogenous groups at the individual level. The findings presented in this paper argue that shared space is not really shared in the true sense and suggests how this could be achieved as a way to improve intergroup relations in Northern Ireland.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review psychology-based programmes, which were develope... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review psychology-based programmes, which were developed to bring together children and young people from Protestant and Catholic backgrounds following the outbreak of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors focused on reporting findings from early research papers and reviews as well as more recent studies. They examined the role of holiday schemes and then the development and evaluation of inter-school contact schemes.
Findings – The findings highlight the strengths and weaknesses associated with peace programmes for youth in Northern Ireland. The paper argues the importance of these programmes for conflicted societies, provided that they are based on current research.
Originality/value – The authors believe the work from Northern Ireland reviewed here has important implications for activities aimed at improving intergroup relations in other societies. These findings will be of interest to researchers, policy makers and practitioners alike.
Research evaluating intergroup contact has relied on self report measures. Drawing on recent micr... more Research evaluating intergroup contact has relied on self report measures. Drawing on recent micro-ecological research the two studies reported here used a multi-method approach to examine contact in a more holistic fashion. This involved the measurement of observable behaviour at the micro-level, intergroup attitudes via infrahumanization and focus groups. Participants were taking part in a community intervention program in Northern Ireland. We conclude that micro-ecological behaviour is not indicative of outgroup attitudes. Although behaviour and attitudes changed in line with one another in Study 1 (less aggregation and significantly less infrahumanization) there were no infrahumanization differences between those who sat beside an outgroup member and those who did not. Importantly the work presented here illustrates a unique method which allows micro-ecological behavioural observations to be made for the first time in non-racial settings.
A number of studies in both South Africa and the United States of America have indicated the pres... more A number of studies in both South Africa and the United States of America have indicated the presence of an ‘informal’ segregation that is active in everyday life spaces and which is resistant to changes in macro level social policy. This research has however been conducted in societies where segregation and division has been based on skin colour. We sought to adapt a micro-ecological technique for use in a non-racially segregated setting, in this case lecture theatres at a University in Northern Ireland. Using seat numbers to examine seating patterns we found that levels of segregation persisted throughout a semester. The success of this methodology in capturing this information has far-reaching implications for the future study of the micro-ecology of contact.
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Papers by Shelley McKeown Jones
present paper argues that shared space does not necessarily mean that groups interact in a meaningful way with one another. This is evidenced through data which examined intergroup behaviour in integrated secondary schools, further education college classes and a cross-community group in Northern Ireland.
Results show that even in what is deemed as shared space, Protestant and Catholic young people remain highly segregated in homogenous groups at the individual level. The findings presented in this paper argue that shared space is not really shared in the true sense and suggests how this could be achieved as a way to improve intergroup relations in Northern Ireland.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors focused on reporting findings from early research papers and reviews as well as more recent studies. They examined the role of holiday schemes and then the development and evaluation of inter-school contact schemes.
Findings – The findings highlight the strengths and weaknesses associated with peace programmes for youth in Northern Ireland. The paper argues the importance of these programmes for conflicted societies, provided that they are based on current research.
Originality/value – The authors believe the work from Northern Ireland reviewed here has important implications for activities aimed at improving intergroup relations in other societies. These findings will be of interest to researchers, policy makers and practitioners alike.
Books by Shelley McKeown Jones
present paper argues that shared space does not necessarily mean that groups interact in a meaningful way with one another. This is evidenced through data which examined intergroup behaviour in integrated secondary schools, further education college classes and a cross-community group in Northern Ireland.
Results show that even in what is deemed as shared space, Protestant and Catholic young people remain highly segregated in homogenous groups at the individual level. The findings presented in this paper argue that shared space is not really shared in the true sense and suggests how this could be achieved as a way to improve intergroup relations in Northern Ireland.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors focused on reporting findings from early research papers and reviews as well as more recent studies. They examined the role of holiday schemes and then the development and evaluation of inter-school contact schemes.
Findings – The findings highlight the strengths and weaknesses associated with peace programmes for youth in Northern Ireland. The paper argues the importance of these programmes for conflicted societies, provided that they are based on current research.
Originality/value – The authors believe the work from Northern Ireland reviewed here has important implications for activities aimed at improving intergroup relations in other societies. These findings will be of interest to researchers, policy makers and practitioners alike.